Swirls and Doodles

Taking time out from tight renderings.

Playing with swirls & doodles, pretty pastel over color paper toned with oil turpentine. Pretty enough to add to my Birthday Collection.

New Design for License

A simple example of how I create a new design for license. This is my recent illustration of some farm fresh sunflowers.

This summer cottage was painted years ago. I layered the sunflower stilllife onto this summer landscape. Nothing beats the joy of working with real paints, but photoshop can help me tell a better story...check out my New Sunflower Greetings.

FROM SEEDS TO BOTANICALS

One thing leads to another...this illustration was started from seeds!

Nasturtium seeds were planted in early spring. The best way to paint a botanical is from one's garden!

MAY DAY BOUQUET

In France on May Day, bouquet of Lily of the Valley is offer to loved ones, family & friends. No two project ever start the same way. From this pencil sketch, I wanted to finish this as a white & green painting.

I was just playing around on photoshop to get a better composition...by clicking on different layers & filters, the drawing turns into this elegant white design.

Hand drawn fonts are added onto another layer, to turn the design into specific greetings.

POP UP CARDS

As much as I enjoy experimenting on what I can do on Photoshop, nothing beats working with real paints & fresh blooms from the garden.

sample card & original artwork

NEW DESIGN

A NEW DESIGN

With photoshop, the sky is the limit with just a few clicks. I started by doodling with my 6B graphite stick. I choose this font style mainly because the width is just the right size. I use my kneaded eraser for the polka dots pattern. The fonts came first for this new design

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6B graphite stick

The swirls & vines are from my archive.

Happy Birthday with vines on peacock pattern

PHOTOSHOP MAGIC

From sketch to photoshop magic...

how cool it would be to be cruising on this sweet vintage bike. A little imagination goes a long way to get thru these bleak grey days.

bike with layers of florals on green pastel landscape

same illustration with a little photoshop magic

PATRIOTIC BEARS

 No two designs ever start the same way. This patriotic teddy bear got started with a small photo of some red & blue pillows. My handmade teddybears are always ready to be painted! The patriotic theme is perfect for a Labor Day picnic invitation.

quick sketch 

Patriotic sewing bears

SYMPATHY DESIGN

carnation sketch

I can never predict what will set off a design idea. This sympathy card started with the word solace, something I heard over the radio. The word stayed with me for a day. I didn't have to flip thru too many sketchbooks. This sketch of a dying carnation from last week seems to be perfect for a sympathy card.

SOLACE, my new sympathy greeting

I border this drawing with something blue, that came from an exercise with watercolor.

MADONNA & CHILD

With tons of sketchbooks full of ideas, it takes a bit of serendipity to actually decide on a new project for 2015. My best friend's daughter just had a beautiful boy. It's special enough for me to sit down & start doodling. Borrowing from a classic theme, I'm approaching this Madonna & Child with more structure than my informal impressionistic works. 

Been refining the composition in a series of sketches. I use parallel strokes & cross hatching to add more life to this quiet study. With my aging eyesight, I wonder if I can still do figure painting.

MADONNA & CHILD

Well, started this MADONNA & CHILD sketch before the baby is born. Baby Aiden is now 3 months old, thought I better work on baby Jesus before baby goes to college.

NEW SCRIPTURES SERIES

Just some doodling & swirls with my glitter paints…kind of like it, decided to add a winter scene from my window. With a little photoshop magic, I added some colorful fonts & holly to my new scripture series. I love it when I can create out of thin air!

ON MY DESK

I like to paint in 4 different directions. It's true what they say...by looking at a painting in another way, it can show me what I need to do. The butterflies I collected from the roadside will come in handy today.

NEW DESIGN

This sunflower sketch was done a few days ago, I added a new leaf from my yard today... a new THANKSGIVING card design to add to my collection...

SUNFLOWER DESIGN

Part of being an artist is to be aware of trends. SUNFLOWER remains top on the trendy list. It's all about working up fresh & new ways to design a sunflower. Sometimes a simple sketch works just fine. Does this look like a finish design ?